Ridgefield News
July 1, 2000

Water Update Meeting

First Selectman Holds Water Update Meeting

Rudy Brings Water Company Execs To Answer Public's Questions

First Selectman Rudy Marconi [left] hosted today's water update meeting. He was joined by Director of Health Dr. Patrick Neligan [center] and Chief Sanitarian Ed Briggs [right].

July 1 -- First Selectman Rudy Marconi today hosted a meeting to update Ridgefielders on the water crisis. Two days earlier, BHC, the Town's water supplier, notified the Town and many of its customers that tap water should not be considered safe to drink due to the presence of coliform bacteria in the water supply. BHC customers are under notice to boil any water before consuming it, or to use bottled water, which BHC is supplying. The First Selectman brought the top officials of BHC, as well as Ridgefield's key health officials, to meet townspeople, explain everything that is known about the situation, and answer questions. Over 100 people turned out for the Yanity Gym meeting on a hot and humid Saturday to learn what has happened to the town's water, and when the situation will be rectified.

BHC President and CEO Janet Hansen addressed the meeting.Another BHC official sits to her left.

BHC's President, Janet Hansen, apologized to Ridgefielders for the inconvenience, and assured them that everything possible was being done to make the water safe for drinking once again. Ms. Hansen, of Trumbull, became BHC's CEO just 5 months ago. She is the first woman to serve as BHC's president and CEO in its 143-year history, and also one of a few women at the helm of major private or public water companies in the nation. BHC, which purchased the old Ridgefield Water Supply Co in 1995, is a unit of Aquarion, which owns two water supply companies and a timber processing company. Aquarion itself is now in the process of being purchased by Kelda Group, a British company with headquarters in Leeds, UK. Kelda is one of the world’s largest water and wastewater service companies.

More than 100 Ridgefielders turned out on a hot Saturday afternoon for the meeting at Yanity Gym. Tempers flared frequently as townspeople expressed their frustration with the way BHC has handled the situation.

Many attendees expressed dissatisfaction over the notification process for the current water emergency. Others questioned why BHC has allowed the situation to develop - BHC has been on notice since it acquired the Ridgefield Water Supply Company in 1995 that Round Pound, the source of the current contamination, did not meet legal requirments for public drinking water since there is no filtration of the water. BHC officials explained that they had chosen to connect Ridgefield to their main water supply via a new pipeline, and eventually "turn off" Round Pond as a source of town water. BHC stated that the new pipeline, which they will start building this week, will be complete in the Spring of 2001. Questioners asked how they could be sure that another crisis such as this would not develop, since BHC has no plans to install filtration at Round Pond, and it will continue to be an important source of town water until the pipeline is complete next year.

BHC employees filled water jugs for distribution to townspeople. The entire parking lot outside Yanity Gym has been turned into a sort of water crisis center, with giant tanker trucks parked, huge pallets of bottled water, and a crew of people directing cars in to receive bottled water.

As to the potability of the current town water, both BHC and town officials explained that the contamination which has been detected is coliform bacteria, a widespread and naturally-occuring bacteria, which in itself is not necessarily harmful. Rather, the presence of coliform bacteria in a public water supply system is considered a symptom that the water is not being properly treated, and may well contain other harmful organisms. Dr. Patrick Neligan, Ridgefield's Director of Health, told attendees that the likely worst effect that drinking untreated town water would be abdominal cramping and diarrhea.

Boy Scout volunteers carried water jugs to residents as they drove in to the water station outside Yanity Gym.

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